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Illumina, Inc. (NASDAQ:ILMN) today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Verinata Health, Inc., a leading provider of non-invasive tests for the early identification of fetal chromosomal abnormalities, for consideration of $350 million plus up to $100 million in milestone payments through 2015. Upon completion of the acquisition, Illumina will have access to Verinata’s verifi® prenatal test, the broadest non-invasive prenatal test (NIPT) available today for high-risk pregnancies, and to the most comprehensive intellectual property portfolio in the non-invasive prenatal test industry. As non-invasive prenatal testing is one of the most rapidly growing areas utilizing next-generation sequencing, Illumina is uniquely positioned to be at the forefront of providing superior prenatal testing options.

“This agreement with Verinata demonstrates Illumina’s commitment to developing innovative diagnostic solutions and providing our partners with the most advanced technologies for improved patient care,” said Jay Flatley, President and CEO of Illumina. “Building on the recent acquisition of BlueGnome Ltd. and our expertise in next-generation sequencing, this announcement further establishes Illumina as a leader in reproductive health.”

Available through a physician, the verifi test analyzes cell-free fetal DNA naturally found in a pregnant woman’s blood to look for missing or extra copies of chromosomes (referred to as aneuploidies). Specifically, the test detects Down syndrome (trisomy 21 or T21), Edwards syndrome (trisomy 18 or T18) and Patau syndrome (trisomy 13 or T13). It is the first non-invasive prenatal test that offers the option to include evaluation of sex chromosome aneuploidies, such as Turner syndrome (Monosomy X), Triple X (XXX), Klinefelter syndrome (XXY) and Jacobs syndrome (XYY) – the most common fetal sex chromosome abnormalities.

Compared to other testing options, the verifi prenatal test provides more definitive information than risk score-based tests (traditional protein serum screens), which calculate probabilities, and does not carry the risk of complications that an invasive procedure, such as an amniocentesis, can have. The robust technology behind the verifi test leverages the power of massively parallel next-generation sequencing with a highly optimized algorithm to provide accurate aneuploidy detection, with the ability to look across the entire genome.

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